Laolu Akande: It’s Not the Job of Policemen to Secure VIPs

Former Presidential Aide Laolu Akande has criticised the widespread use of police officers as personal security aides for politicians and VIPs, describing the practice as a “perversion” of policing in Nigeria. Akande made the remarks on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television on Thursday, where he shared insights from his recent visit to the United States […]

Former Presidential Aide Laolu Akande has criticised the widespread use of police officers as personal security aides for politicians and VIPs, describing the practice as a “perversion” of policing in Nigeria.

Akande made the remarks on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television on Thursday, where he shared insights from his recent visit to the United States and compared Nigeria’s security culture with global democratic norms.

Akande recounted his experience in Washington, D.C., noting the stark contrast between how lawmakers in the U.S. move freely among citizens and the heavy security entourages that accompany Nigerian officials.

“I just came back from the US. I spent some time with Congressmen. They don’t have close security people following them all over the place. You could walk a whole street and block with a Senator by himself. You don’t see security people going with them to events,” he said.

He stressed that lawmakers, whether in the U.S. or Nigeria, are representatives of the people and should be accessible to them.

However, he lamented that the culture among Nigerian officeholders has shifted from service to entitlement.

“Lawmakers are the representatives of the people. I think we have gotten to a situation in Nigeria where we have become more entitled. Those of them in government – the representatives – they have become more entitled than understanding the dangers their own people face,” Akande said.

The former presidential aide argued that the use of police officers as personal bodyguards for VIPs is fundamentally wrong and incompatible with the core mandate of the police.

“In the first instance, it was a perversion to have policemen to be following VIPs all over the place. It’s not done. That’s not the job of a policeman. A policeman is trained to maintain internal security, not to become an orderly to VIPs,” he stated.

President Bola Tinubu had ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons in the country.

Henceforth, police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core police duties.

The presidential directive was issued at the security meeting President Tinubu held on Sunday with the police, Air Force, army chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja.